The former England captain Steve Borthwick has announced he will be retiring at the end of the current season. The influential Saracens lock, 34, has enjoyed a 16-year career and led his club to the 2011 Premiership title.

Borthwick won 57 caps for England, captaining his country on 21 occasions, and has played a record 19,389 minutes of Premiership rugby in his 253 league appearances to date.

As a keen student of the lineout he may well turn to coaching, having already worked with his former Saracens coach Eddie Jones in Japan.

In the meantime he is determined to finish on a high with Sarries. "Very few players have the chance to retire on their own terms," he said. "Saracens did ask me if I'd like to carry on but I feel the time is right for me to finish playing at the end of the season. That's still a few months away and I am 100% focused on improving as a player and leading this team to the best of my ability."

The Saracens director of rugby, Mark McCall, paid the warmest of tributes. "Steve has become a Saracens legend, as a leader, as a player and as man who sets the highest standards in everything he does. He will be sorely missed."

The Cumbria-born forward started his career with Bath and won his first cap against France in 2001. He last played for England in 2010.

England's Ben Foden, meanwhile, is in a race against time to be fit for the start of the Six Nations after suffering a posterior cruciate ligament strain to his right knee playing for Northampton against Newcastle last weekend. Foden is likely to be sidelined until the New Year but will not require surgery.

"See how the rehab goes but won't be running out for a while," he informed his Twitter followers.

England are already set to be without Tom Croft, Manu Tuilagi, Geoff Parling, Alex Corbisiero and Joel Tomkins for their opening fixture against France in Paris on 1 February.